A senior South African diplomat, Dr. Charles Fincham. has been appointed South Africa’s first Consul-General to Israel. He will open South Africa’s Consulate-General in Tel Aviv next month, it was announced here. Dr. Fincham was Under-Secretary in charge of the international organization section of the Department of Foreign Affairs before leaving for Israel, and holds the personal rank of Ambassador.
South Africa’s decision to open a Consulate-General in Israel has been widely welcomed here in non-Jewish as well as Jewish circles, and has been warmly commended in both the general and the Jewish press. Israel has had a Consulate-General and a legation in South Africa since 1950. The present Israeli Consul-General is Itzhak Unna, while the legation is served by a Charge d’Affaires, Michael Michael, who holds the personal rank of Ambassador.
The Jewish press paid tribute to Michael and Unna for having helped to create the climate leading to the decision to open a South African Consulate-General in Israel, and to Prime Minister Balthazar J. Vorster for the understanding which he, no less than previous South African premiers has shown regarding Israel’s needs.
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